Perhaps after Charlie Parker, John Coltrane is Jazz's most distinguished saxophonist. Expanding from his roots in bop and hard bop, Coltrane explored ever increasingly difficult territories such as free jazz during the 60's. After struggling with a heroin addiction, Coltrane turned his attention to religious mysticism, especially its eastern forms, for the first time bringing these themes into jazz music. His masterpiece "A Love Supreme" remains one of the foremost pieces of religious music. Later compositions such as "Ascension" further attempted to marry the ecstatic mystical experience with the free jazz form. Coltrane died in 1967 of a liver ailment. He remains a much respected figure by music lovers of all stripes and has been canonized by the Church of John Coltrane in San Francisco.